L S Lowry

£3,650-£5,500Value
Indicator

$7,000-$10,500 Value Indicator

$6,000-$9,500 Value Indicator

¥35,000-¥50,000 Value Indicator

€4,250-€6,500 Value Indicator

$35,000-$50,000 Value Indicator

¥690,000-¥1,050,000 Value Indicator

$4,600-$7,000 Value Indicator

38% AAGR

AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.

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Track auction value trend

The value of L S Lowry’s signed lithograph, Sailing Boats, is estimated to be worth between £3,650 and £5,500. This artwork has shown consistent value growth, with an average annual growth rate of 22%. In the last 12 months, the average selling price was £3,313 across 2 total sales. Over the past five years, the hammer price has ranged from £3,200 in November 2023 to £6,300 in October 2022. Since its first sale in March 2005, Sailing Boats has been sold 13 times at auction. The edition size of this artwork is limited to 850.

Auction Date

Auction House

Artwork

Hammer Price

Return to Seller

Buyer Paid

November 2023

Anderson & Garland - United Kingdom

Sailing Boats - Signed Print

August 2023

Lyon & Turnbull Edinburgh - United Kingdom

Sailing Boats - Signed Print

February 2023

Sworders - United Kingdom

Sailing Boats - Signed Print

October 2022

Wilson55 - United Kingdom

Sailing Boats - Signed Print

September 2022

Bonhams Knightsbridge - United Kingdom

Sailing Boats - Signed Print

May 2022

Golding, Young & Mawer, The Lincoln Auction Rooms - United Kingdom

Sailing Boats - Signed Print

October 2021

Duke's Auctioneers - United Kingdom

Sailing Boats - Signed Print

Meaning & Analysis

Sailing Boats is an example of Lowry’s seaside paintings. His fondness of the subject matter of the sea seems to contrast starkly with his urban obsessions of poverty, smoke and bustle. Still, the air of pessimism was also present in Lowry’s maritime interest:

”I’ve always been fond of the sea. How wonderful it is, yet also how terrible. I often think... what if it suddenly changed its mind and didn't turn the tide — and came straight on? If it didn't stop and came on and on and on and on... That would be the end of it all.”

This sense of dread is indeed evoked by Sailing Boats - with a more swirling, Turneresque sky than his cityscapes, this simple picture carries more of a threat than some of the artist’s better-known urban works. The sublime power of nature is rawer in Lowry’s seascapes. Although his mills and houses are bleak, they are simpler in their composition with a more manageable presence. The repeated shapes created by the sails dwarf the figure in the foreground and all is enveloped in a swirling sky that merges without the sea, horizonless and imposing. An intriguing side-note to this work is that it is the only painting that Lowry’s mother ever praised.

Born in 1887, L. S. Lowry was a key figure in 20th century British painting. Known for his distinctive painterly style and 'matchstick men', Lowry aimed to put industry on the map by typically focusing on scenes from his hometown in the North West of England. The naivety of his art drew criticism, yet has stood the test of time with the artist becoming a household name. Lowry has consistently performed in the secondary market, with works such as Going To The Match achieving a value of £2,919,000 in 2021 and the editioned prints remaining highly sought after.